RACE REPORTS

Round 11: Weald 10k01/09/2019

​Round 10: Dartford Mile16/08/2019

The evening of Friday August 16th saw a first for the club, a Grand Prix round over just one mile. No chance to warm up during the first couple of miles – you had to be on it from the start!We were warmly welcomed by Central Park Athletics at their Dartford track on an overcast evening, not the balmy sunny occasion the committee had envisaged when designing the event but thankfully also not the horrible weather conditions that had been forecast.Despite the forecast and it being a Friday evening there was a good turnout of 44 PWRs with 10 not registered for the GP so ineligible for points. It had been widely expected that each GP group would run together but the competitors were actually divided up into six races based on their predicted finishing times. So, it was no good running a tactical race, you had to go flat out and hope that your time was good enough to beat your rivals who may have been running in a different race!

Group 1 (3 runners)The three PWRs were all in the last race of the day for the fastest runners. Roger Vilardell (4:50.4) had an enthralling battle with a Dartford runner, keeping him behind all the way to the finish to win Race 6. David Adams (5:20.9) was the 2nd fastest PWR with Daniel Selman (5:30.7) 3rd in Group 1.

Group 2 (7 runners)Group 2 was well represented at this event with 7 runners. Andy Tippet (5:22.3) was the only one to be in Race 6 and duly delivered a round-winning time to defeat the others who were all in Race 5. His title rival Adam Wilkinson (5:35.2) won that race with John Gurney (5:37.1) the next PWR to finish. Jamie Fernandes pipped Hannah Roberts by just 0.4s from Will Senbanjo and Mike Reeves.

Group 3 (3 runners)Championship leader James Wall (5:47.2) and Peter Fisher (5:59.0) were also in Race 5 and took the top two spots in Group 3. Mark Burgess (6:49.8) was a lot slower but thankfully was in Race 4 so didn’t have to see his fellow Group 3s disappear into the distance.

Group 4 (5 runners)Group 4’s championship leader Laura Elvin (6:06.6) was a bit miffed to find herself all alone in Race 5 while the rest of her group were in Races 3 and 4. However her undoubted pace and perhaps being pulled along by faster runners meant her time was easily the best. Lucy Drury (6:29.0) was in Race 4 (a race won by non-GP registered Paul Whelan) and was 2nd quickest of the Group 4s from Ian Bauly (6:32.4), Paul Strachan and Jeremy Townsend, all of whom were in Race 3.

Group 5 (3 runners)Chloe Weaver (6:45.3) had taken her first win of the campaign at the previous round and she notched up another victory at Dartford. While Weaver and championship leader Nigel Hewson (7:08.1) were in Race 4, Cliff Lyons (7:07.8) was in Race 2 which he duly won, and in the process recoded a faster time than Hewson to be the 2nd fastest Group 5.

Group 6 (2 runners)Just the two runners in Group 6 with Andrew Deer (7:16.2) in Race 3 (a race won by non-GP registered Andrew Squirrell) comfortably quicker than championship front-runner Derek Hopkins (7:52.8) who was in Race 2.

Group 7 (2 runners)Another group with only two runners with Anna Larner (7:50.5) defeating Maxine Horsfield (8:05.8) in Race 2.

Group 8 (4 runners)Four runners in this group and they were all in Race 2. Dominic Russell (7:49.4) was quickest from championship leader Olivia Senbanjo (7:52.2), Petula Herbert (8:03.7) and Emma Sims.

Group 9 (4 runners)All four Group 9s were in Race 1 with Paul Pester (8:03.4) 2nd over the line and comfortably clear of a close battle between Kathy Strachan (8:37.8) and Susan Deer (8:38.8). Helena Broadway could only manage 4th in group on this occasion but has already wrapped up the title.

Group 10 (1 runner)Championship leader Kate Anderson (8:43.6) was the only Group 1 at this event and duly added another 20 points to her tally.

For the first time ever, Groups 1 and 2 had their own separate event for a round of the 2018-19 PWR GP series. The thinking behind this was to allow them to stretch their legs and take in a longer distance event that many of the other groups would find hard to tackle. So at the beginning of July our two fastest groups contested their Round 9 at the Bewl 15, a 15 mile race around the Bewl Water reservoir. Only 5 eligible to score GP points raced at Bewl but they were joined by 7 other PWRs from lower groups and others not signed up for the GP at all.

Group 1 (3 runners)The points leader coming into the event, Simon Dahdi (01:45:29), was the first PWR home to add to his win at the Canterbury 10 miler back in January. Michael Smith (01:48:29) was 2nd and 17 minutes quicker than last year! Stephen Pond (02:05:07) in 3rd was the only other Group 1 with his focus probably more on his attempt at the epic 100km Race to the Stones ultra-marathon just one week later!

Dahdi (112 points) is now 10 points clear of Pond (102) in 2nd with the rest of the top six unchanged - David Adams (58) 3rd, Gavin Benson (51) 4th, Matthew Pond (48) 5th and Kev Howarth (47) 6th.

Group 2 (2 runners)There were just the two runners in this group and again it was the championship leader that took the honours. Adam Wilkinson (02:11:43) made it three wins on the trot but was only 13 seconds ahead of 2nd-placed Marcus Elwes (02:11:57).

Wilkinson was level with Andy Tippet at the top of the table coming into this round but is now 20 points clear on 112 points from Tippet (92). Watch out though for Tippet at the next round, the Dartford track race, as he has been spotted pulling on his trusty old spikes following glowing comments from the Tonbridge coach at the recent event at Norman Park. As in Group 1 the rest of the top remain as before with Jamie Fernandes (68) in 3rd ahead of Stephen Scobie (67), Geraldine Schaer (62) and Hector Rodriguez Drumond (56).

41 PWRs participated in the Round 9 event for Groups 3 – 10, the Myra Garrett 10k at Danson Park, including nine that were ineligible to score GP points. Group 1’s Roger Vilardell was one of those (hope he realised his points scoring opportunity had been at Bewl two weeks earlier!) and he came in 2nd overall, with Sarah Birch, not registered for the GP, taking home a trophy for 3rd placed lady. Unusually there was no chip timing so it was all down to gun times.

Group 3 (5 runners)Peter Fisher (45:00) took his first victory of the campaign and was clear of Mark Franks (46:57) who had beaten him last time out. David Moore (48:11) was 3rd from championship leader James Wall and Stuart Isaacs who kept his daughter Amelia (a contender for a podium spot in Group 6) company.

Wall (134 points) remains in pole position in the title race but Franks (123) is slowly picking away at his advantage. Isaacs (107) and Fisher (104) demoted the absent Mark Burgess (101) to 5th, with David Moore (97) dangerously close in 6th.

Group 4 (5 runners)Having missed the previous round, championship leader Laura Elvin was back to remind this group who is the boss and she duly delivered with a 46:15. High Elms victor Ian Bauly (48:53) was 2nd from Scott Haragan (49:19) in 3rd – his best result so far. Paul Strachan was 4th with Jonathan Bottomer the final Group 4 in 5th.

Elvin (134 points) has won 5 of the 7 rounds she has contested and remains on course for the title. Bauly (112) with two wins is 2nd from new 3rd-placed Strachan (101), Lucy Drury (89), Carl Inman (81) and Gillian Selman (67).

Group 5 (3 runners)Just the three runners in Group 3 and their poorest turnout of the season so far. That didn’t bother Chloe Weaver (50:58) and she took her first win of the campaign, well clear of Nigel Hewson (54:30) in 2nd and Natalie Jacques (56:43) in 3rd.

Series front-runner Steve Burnett (129 points) is unlikely to be able to race at any of the remaining rounds and slips down to 2nd behind good friend and rival Hewson (139). Weaver (118) remains 3rd while Jacques (94) continues her rise up the order and is now 4th from Fiona Abiola-Musa (82) and Neil Sutton (77).

Group 6 (4 runners)Laura Finch (52:17) was a last-minute entry but it certainly was a good move as she led the Group 4s home, beating championship leader Richard Dunstan (53:20) by just over a minute. Amelia Isaacs (54:19) was next up from Derek Hopkins in 4th.

Dunstan (143 points) retains a slim points advantage over Hopkins (139) and, with both having contested 8 rounds, dropped scores will now come into play over the last three rounds. Isaacs (116) remains 3rd from Finch (103), up one place, Sarah Hunt (88) and Sigrid Robson (44).

Group 7 (4 runners)I don’t know how he does it but Jon Aitken Dyte (57:19) quite often manages to be allocated race number 1 and this season it certainly has been befitting. Win number 8 from 9 rounds means he has scored the maximum 160 points already and is our first champion! That 4th place at the Foots Cray parkrun will niggle him though I’m sure! David Allison (57:36) was only 17s behind the number 1 for his best result of this season. Sid Launchbury (59:21) completed the top three with Anna Larner 4th.

As already highlighted Aitken Dyte (160 points) has wrapped up the title but behind him it is all to play for with Liz Delamain (118) and Maxine Horsfield (116) needing to be mindful of a fast closing Allison (108). Launchbury (84) remains 5th and James Fisher (59) 6th.

Group 8 (3 runners)Olivia Senbanjo (57:41) is enjoying a great run of form recently and wrapped up her third win in a row. Round 1 winner Petula Herbert (60:11) was 2nd from Robert Lillywhite (61:18) 3rd.

Senbanjo (133 points) takes over the championship lead from the absent Emma Sims (132) but only by one point and Sims has still one more race to count while Senbanjo will now start having to drop scores. Herbert (110) moves up to 3rd from Lillywhite (108), Dominic Russell (100) and Meera Lawrence (77).

Group 9 (4 runners)Championship leader Helena Broadway (61:45) took her fourth win of the series with Paul Pester (68:02), Susan Deer (68:33) and Kathy Strachan trailing in her wake.

Broadway (148 points) can’t now be caught in the Group 9 championship as even if 2nd-placed Strachan (131) won all the remaining rounds and Broadway didn’t score she has enough points in hand. Deer (71) is 3rd from Pester (63), Eadaoin Miller (40) and Emma Horan (36).

Group 10 (4 runners)Pherenice Worsey-Buck (62:56) is another to be in a rich vein of form and she took her third straight win in a row. Championship leader Kate Anderson (67:30) was back after missing the previous round and came in 2nd from Alexandra Robins (72:30), with Helen Twyford close behind in 4th.

Anderson (142 points) although 28 points clear of Worsey-Buck (114) has now raced at eight events while Worsey-Buck has only raced at six so can more easily add to her points tally. It should be an intriguing battle to the wire. Twyford (95) and Robins (92) look to be locked in a close fight for the final trophy position, with Gill Watson and Rachel Sutton in joint 5th on 53 points.

Round 8: Orpington High Elms 10k09/06/2019

77 PWRs braved round 8 of the GP series at High Elms despite its notorious hills and social media suggesting crampons as the best footwear! Our colleagues at Orpington Road Runners welcomed us warmly and put on a great event in conditions that were a little warmer than expected. PWRs picked up numerous awards such as the overall winner (Roger Vilardell), 1st MV50 (Stephen Pond) and the ladies team prize (Lucy Drury, Natalie Jacques and Chloe Weaver). Twenty of our runners were not entered in the GP and the event was also supported ably from the sidelines by a noisy group that had incorporated High Elms into their Sunday morning run.

Group 1 (6 runners)Roger Vilardell (38:11) has now contested two rounds and taken two victories. He has left his title challenge rather late though as, even if he contests all the remaining races, he will only have six scores while others will have achieved the full eight that you are allowed such as Simon Dahdi (41:40) who finished runner-up at High Elms and sits at the top of the points table. Stephen Pond (42:30) was 3rd from Daniel Selman, in his first appearance this season, Matthew Pond and Kev Howarth.Dahdi (92 points) has pulled another couple of points clear of Stephen Pond (86) in the title race, with David Adams (58) still 3rd. Gavin Benson (51) remains 4th from Matthew Pond (48) and Howarth (47).

Group 2 (3 runners)Just the three runners in this group with Adam Wilkinson (44:05) securing his third win of the season. Hector Drumond (46:14) gained his best place finish so far with 2nd place ahead of championship leader Andy Tippet (46:39).Wilkinson’s win sees him draw level with Tippet at the top of the table on 92 points. Wilkinson is in a better position than his rival as his points haul has come from just 5 rounds compared to six for Tippet. The rest of the top six remains as before, apart from Drumond’s result moving him up to 6th on 56 points behind Jamie Fernandes (68), Stephen Scobie (67) and Geraldine Schaer (62).

Group 3 (7 runners)Mark Franks (48:54) started 8s ahead of Peter Fisher (49:02) and finished with exactly the same advantage over him to take his second win of the campaign following his victory at the Paddock Wood Half. Antony Mitchell (50:20) in 3rd was 24s clear of last year’s Group 3 champion Stuart Isaacs, with David Moore and Steve White completing the top six.The absent James Wall (119 points) retains a comfortable advantage in the championship over the new 2nd-placed runner Franks (105). Mark Burgess (101), 7th at High Elms, drops to 3rd – only clinging on to a place in the top three by virtue of having raced at every round. Isaacs (93), Fisher (84) and Moore (81) are all poised to demote him further as and when they contest more rounds.

Group 4 (7 runners)Laura Elvin, winner of the last 4 rounds, was not at High Elms so this round was a chance for her rivals to cut the deficit. Ian Bauly (52:05) set the pace from Jeremy Townsend (53:19) and Carl Inman (53:47). Paul Strachan, Lucy Drury, Scott Haragan and Jonathan Bottomer completed the Group 4 contingent.Bauly (94 points) moves up to 2ndoverall behind Elvin (114) and, with two wins and three 2nd places from five outings, could still overhaul the points leader. Drury (89) drops to 3rd, with Strachan (86) 4th, Inman (81) 5th and Gillian Selman (67) 6th.

Group 5 (7 runners)Steve Burnett (54:01) continues to be the one to beat in this group and was 2nd overall in his age category at High Elms to boot. Having missed the previous 4 rounds, Viral Tanna (55:32) made a successful return to the GP with 2nd place from Nigel Hewson ((57:40) in 3rd. Natalie Jacques was 4th, having stopped to assist a fellow runner who had fallen, from Chloe Weaver and Neil Sutton.Burnett (129) is now 8 points clear of 2nd-placed Hewson (121) in the title race and with 5 wins would be expected to push on and secure the crown. However, some work in Australia has just come his way and looks likely to kibosh his participation in any of the remaining rounds. Weaver (98) and Fiona Abiola-Muso (82) remain 3rd and 4th respectively, while Jacques (78) moves ahead of Sutton (77) for 5th.

Group 6 (4 runners)Janine Harris makes only limited appearances in the Grand Prix but when she does she normally comes in with a bang. Second fastest overall at the Foots Cray parkrun in December, she went one better at High Elms and took the win, recording a time of 58:31. Championship contender Derek Hopkins (59:00) was less than 30s behind while Amelia Isaacs (59:52) was 3rd. Championship leader Richard Dunstan was only 4th and last of the Group 6s.It couldn’t be much tighter at the top of the table with Dunstan (125 points) just a single point clear of Hopkins (124) and both having contested 7 events. Isaacs (100) moves up to 3rd at the expense of the absent Sarah Hunt (88). Laura Finch (73) and Sigrid Robson (44) remain 5th and 6th respectively.

Group 7 (8 runners)Group 7 had the largest field but there was no change at the top with Jon Aitken Dyte (58:43) taking his sixth win in a row and his seventh of the campaign. Anna Larner (59:55) in only her second outing was 2nd from Liz Delamain (59:57). David Allison, Sid Launchbury and Rebecca Gosling were next up.Unsurprisingly, Aitken Dyte (155 points) has increased his advantage at the top of the table and has 4 more races to pick up the one win he requires to achieve the maximum 160 points possible from 8 scoring rounds. Delamain (118) and Maxine Horsfield (116) remain locked together in the battle for best of the rest, from Allison (90), Launchbury (68) and James Fisher (59).

Group 8 (6 runners)Olivia Senbanjo (61:38) took her second win in a row to keep up the pressure on championship leader Emma Sims (61:52) who was 2nd. Robert Lillywhite (64:34) was 3rd from Dominic Russell, Michael Boyd and Brighton 10k winner Petula Herbert.Sims (132 points) remains in control of this group, with Senbanjo (113) only cutting the deficit by two points. Russell (100) is 3rd while Herbert is joined in 4th by Lillywhite on 92 points apiece. Meera Lawrence (77) is 6th.

Group 9 (5 runners)Two races, two wins, Eadaoin Miller (68:24) has a perfect record in Group 9. Emma Horan (69:46) has also only contested two rounds and she made it two 2nd places from two. Championship leader Helena Broadway (70:25) was 3rd from Paul Pester and Kathy Strachan.Broadway (128 points) retains her lead in the championship from Strachan (116) with everyone else a long way back. Susan Deer (55) is 3rd currently from Pester (45), Miller (40) and Horan (36).

Group 10 (4 runners)Having tasted victory for the first time at the previous round, Pherenice Worsey-Buck (68:34) was back on top again at High Elms and well clear of Helen Twyford (77:00), Alexandra Robins (78:27) and Gill Watson.Kate Anderson (124 points) remains out front in the series but needs to be mindful of the late challenge being put in by Worsey-Buck (94) who has three 2nd places and two wins from the five races she has contested. Twyford (80) and Robins remain 3rd and 4th with Watson joining Rachel Sutton in 5th equal on 53 points.

Round 7: Darent Valley 10k12/05/2019

An early race start of 8.30am but a friendly event through stunning scenery and in beautiful weather. What more could anyone want for round 7 of this season’s Grand Prix series? Well, perhaps a slightly flatter route!There were 57 runners from Petts Wood out of the 69 field with all but 8 of the PWRs registered for the Grand Prix. One of those was one of the club’s very fastest runners, Simon Fox, ‘fresh’ from setting a new club marathon record in London just two weeks earlier.

Group 1 (2 runners)Just the two runners in the premier class with Roger Vilardell (35:18) in his first appearance in this year’s series well clear of David Adams (40:33) who himself hadn’t contested any rounds since the Canterbury 10 miler in January. Racing on an injured ankle, Vilardell tried to keep up the pressure on race leader Fox but ultimately came up short and had to be content with 2nd place and an excellent 1-2 for the club.The top two in the championship remain as before with Simon Dahdi (74 points) just 4 points ahead of Stephen Pond (70) with both having raced at 4 rounds. Adams’ 2nd place in group at his fourth round lifts him up to 3rd with 58 points from Gavin Benson (51), and Kev Howarth and Matthew Pond tied on 34 points.

Group 2 (4 runners)Having paced Group 5’s Chloe Weaver at the previous round, the Paddock Wood Half, Adam Wilkinson (40:54) was back trying to gain points for himself and duly took the win. The leading three were all pretty evenly matched with Paddock Wood winner Stephen Scobie (41:20) only 26s behind and Hector Rodriguez Drummond (41:20) just another 20s further back. Andy Tippet was 4th.Jamie Fernandes has missed the last two rounds and has now lost his championship lead as Tippet’s 4th place takes him to the top with 76 points. Wilkinson (72) also moves above Fernandes (68) who drops to 3rd overall from Scobie (67), Geraldine Schaer (62) and John Gurney (43).

Group 3 (7 runners)Group 3 had the joint highest number of runners at this round and it was very close at the front with James Wall (45:30) taking his third victory of the season by just 4s from Mark Franks (45:34) who had won last time out. Peter Fisher (46:14) picked up his third 3rd place of the campaign from Stuart Isaacs, who had completed a 30k walk the previous day (!), David Moore and Anthony Mitchell in his first race for a year.Wall (119 points) is pulling away at the top of the leaderboard. Mark Burgess (89) remains 2nd overall but not for much longer as Franks (85) in 3rd is closing in fast. Isaacs (78), Moore 67) and Fisher (66) complete the top six.

Group 4 (5 runners)There’s no stopping Laura Elvin (46:45) at the moment and the championship leader duly racked up her fourth consecutive victory. However, Lucy Drury (47:38) was not that far behind and seems to be enjoying a rich vein of form. Jeremy Townsend (49:16) was next up from Gillian Selman and Jonathan Bottomer.Elvin (114) extends her points advantage over her rivals to 39 points with Drury (75) moving from 5th to 2nd and the best of the rest. Ian Bauly (74), Paul Strachan (71), Selman (67) and Carl Inman (65) are next up.

Group 5 (6 runners)Steve Burnett (49:20) was back on top at Darent Valley and claimed his fourth victory from the six rounds he has contested. Chloe Weaver (50:18) was the next PWR through the finish and continued her run of always being in the top three. Natalie Jacques (50:51) was 3rd for the third time this season and headed Paddock Wood winner Fiona Abiola-Musa, Lee Mitchell (another of the Mitchell clan venturing out for the first time this season) and Neil Sutton.Championship leader Nigel Hewson’s social trip to Wales rather than racing in Eynsford has proved costly as Burnett (109 points) has regained the championship lead. Hewson (105) drops to 2nd place from Weaver (74), Abiola-Musa (70), Sutton 64) and Jacques (63).

Group 6 (6 runners)Following a disappointing entry of just two runners at Paddock Wood, it was good to see half a dozen Group 6 runners out for this round. Richard Dunstan (52:10) once again got the better of Derek Hopkins (52:44) to win the class but the gap was just 34s. Amelia Isaacs (53:01) like dad Stuart (Group 3) had completed a 30k charity walk the previous day but was still able to take 3rd from Laura Finch, Andrew Deer and Sarah Hunt.Dunstan (110 points) has put two more points between himself and 2nd-placed Hopkins (106), while former championship leader Hunt (88) retains 3rd spot. Isaacs (84), Finch (73) and Sigrid Robson (44) complete the top six.

Group 7 (4 runners)No signs yet of any chinks in Jon Aitken Dyte’s armour as the Group 7 championship leader recorded his sixth victory of the campaign with a time of 51:43. Liz Delamain (53:52) picked up her third runner-up spot while David Allison (59:20) recorded his best finish so far this season in 3rd. Sid Launchbury was the only other Group 7 racing at this round.Aitken Dyte (135 points) is just two more wins away from recording the maximum 160 points achievable. Maxine Horsfield’s no-show at Darent Valley has allowed Delamain (102) to sneak past her by one point into 2nd overall. Allison (76) remains 4th from Launchbury (55) and James Fisher 48).

Group 8 (7 runners)A good turnout of 7 runners in this group and a second win of the season for Olivia Senbanjo (55:31). Meera Lawrence (55:54) in 2nd was just 23s behind, coincidentally the same distance behind that she was at the start of the race! Robert Lillywhite (59:12) was 3rd from Janice Mitchell, Petula Herbert and Elise Pearce.Emma Sims (114 points) wasn’t at this round, the first she has missed, but remains in the lead from Senbanjo (93) who overtakes Dominic Russell (85) for 2nd place. Herbert (79) remains 4th from Lawrence (77) and Lillywhite (76) who swop places.

Group 9 (4 runners)After two rounds with just two runners, Group 4 had doubled in numbers for this round. Moy McGowan (62:10) in her first appearance this season took the honours despite taking a nasty tumble and requiring attention from St John’s at the end of the race. Also in her season debut was runner-up Emma Horan (66:18) from Helena Broadway (66:30) and Susan Deer.Championship leader Kathy Strachan did not race and that has allowed Broadway (112) into the lead – a position she has been threatening to take for some time, having beaten Strachan (102) each time they have been out together. Deer (55) increases her points tally but still remains in 3rd from Paul Pester (30), and Eadaoin Miller and McGowan tied in 5th overall on 20 points apiece.

Group 10 (4 runners)Following three consecutive 2nd place finishes, Pherenice Worsey-Buck (64:35) went one better at Darent Valley and took the race victory, ending Kate Anderson’s run of four wins in a row. Anderson (66:17) was 2nd from Helen Twyford (69:33) and Gill Watson.Anderson (124 points) remains well clear at the top of the leaderboard from Worsey-Buck (74), Twyford (62), Alexandra Robins (60), Rachel Sutton (53) and two-times winner Sarah Davis (40).

Report: Mark Burgess

Next up is another race of this distance – the challenging High Elms 10k. The course is challenging and hilly, but very scenic to make up for it. Last year’s event was won by Roger Vilardell in 37:48.To win your group this year you are likely to have to be around these sorts of times that were recorded by the corresponding best finishers at the 2018 event: Group 2 (Geraldine Schaer, 47:31), Group 3 (Stuart Isaacs, 48:29), Group 4 (Gillian Selman, 53:00), Group 5 (Nigel Hewson, 57:52), Group 6 (Janine Harris, 58:48), Group 7 (Perry Wilson 59:05), Group 8 (Lyttleton Barrett 65:05), Group 9 (Emma Horan, 70:33), Group 10 (Sarah Davis, 78:34).

The midpoint of the championship and the longest race for all but Groups 1 and 2 who take on a grueling 15 miles at Bewl Water in July. The Half Marathon distance is a big step up for most but it didn’t deter an excellent 57 PWRs from taking on this PB-friendly course on the first Sunday in April. 16 of the 57 weren’t registered for the GP including two rapid MV60s, Bill Middleton and Charles Yates, and Hannah Smith contesting her first ever half having only completed the beginner’s course last year!Conditions were perfect for quick times and so it proved with Stephen Pond lowering his own PWR M50 record and countless other PBs recorded all down the field. The event was also the Kent Long Course Championships and Pond Senior came 3rd in the M50 category while Geraldine Schaer took 2nd in the FV45 class.

Group 1 (4 runners)Still not a large turnout in this class but at least there were double the number at the previous round. Stephen Pond (01:21:19) led the PWRs home with championship leader Simon Dahdi (01:21:34) just 15s slower on chip times and a few seconds closer than that on the road. Matthew Pond (01:26:44) competing in only his second ever half was 3rd with Michael Smith 4th.Dahdi (74 points) retains his championship lead but knows he is in a battle with Pond Senior (70) who has won the last two rounds. Gavin Benson (51) drops to 3rd ahead of David Adams (40) and Kev Howarth and Pond Junior tied on 34 points.

Group 2 (6 runners)Not sure many of you know who he is but Stephen Scobie (01:22:50) is rapid when he puts in an appearance and he won Group 2 convincingly at Paddock Wood to take his second victory from three races contested having also taken the Brighton 10k season opener. Michael Evans (01:28:12) was 2nd in class from Steve Bowley (01:29:18). Geraldine Schaer was 4th from two runners who were much further down the results and appeared to be putting their partners’ ambitions before their own GP results! Adam Wilkinson in 5th ran with Group 5’s Chloe Weaver while Will Senbanjo was 6th running with his wife and Group 8 contender Olivia.The absent Jamie Fernandes (68 points) retains his championship lead while Schaer (62) moves up to 2nd, one point ahead of Andy Tippet (61). Wilkinson (52) also moves up one place to 4th ahead of race winner Scobie (49) and John Gurney (43).

Group 3 (5 runners)Mark Franks (1:37:28) has improved results-wise at every GP round he has contested this season and this round was no different. So, after a 3rd place at the Canterbury 10m and 2nd place at the Trosley 10k he was rewarded at Paddock Wood with the victory. David Moore (1:39:21) in 2nd also had his best round so far with championship leader James Wall (1:44:14) having to be content with 3rd place this time. Mark Burgess and Steve White were the two other Group 5 finishers.Wall (99 points) is now a further 2 points clear of the new 2nd placed runner, Burgess (77), the only other runner in this group to have contested every round – hence the points haul! Franks (67) knocks Stuart Isaacs (63) down to 4th, with Stephen Robson (58) 5th and Moore up into the top six with 53 points.

Group 4 (6 runners)Laura Elvin (1:39:18) continued her winning ways and has now won the last three rounds in this class. Gillian Selman (1:41:44) had her best result so far in 2nd place with the day’s Group 4 podium an all-female affair as Jackie York (1:43:34) was 3rd. Carl Inman took his third 4th place of the series with Paul Strachan and Matthew Cook next up.Coming into the event, Elvin and Ian Bauly were tied at the top of the table but, with Bauly not taking part, Elvin (94 points) is now 20 points clear. Bauly (74) drops to 2nd with Strachan (71) only three points behind. Inman (65) leapfrogs Lucy Drury (57) for 4th with Selman into the top six on 52 points.

Group 5 (4 runners)This group is very intriguing with plenty of sub plots. We have had Viral Tanna out of action with a broken metatarsal, Steve Burnett’s performances linked to where he is with his marathon training and then came Paddock Wood! Last round winner Nigel Hewson was in control at the front of the pack until Fiona Abiola-Musa (1:46:29) came absolutely storming through in the latter stages to take the win. Hewson for his part was being tracked throughout the race by Chloe Weaver, and Group 2’s Adam Wilkinson as previously mentioned, and when the time came they put their foot down with them both finishing a second ahead of Hewson on the road. Chip times are all important though and the news later came through that Weaver (1:48:22) had indeed ousted Hewson (1:48:24) by 2 seconds! Burnett, who has won three rounds, was 4th.Despite his angst at the day’s results, Hewson (105 points) has slightly increased his lead in the championship over Burnett (89) in 2nd. Weaver’s first 2nd place after a run of three 3rd places moves her into 3rd overall on 66 points from Abiola-Musa (55), Tanna (53) and Neil Sutton (51).

Group 6 (2 runners)Just the two runners in Group 6 but between them 4 of the 5 victories so far this season. And there was little to separate them on this occasion with Richard Dunstan (1:54:25) coming out on top by just 7s from Derek Hopkins (1:54:32).Dunstan and Hopkins had been tied for the championship runner-up spot coming into this round behind Sarah Hunt. Dunstan (90 points) now heads the leaderboard from Hopkins (88), Hunt (75), Amelia Isaacs (68), Laura Finch (58) and Sigrid Robson (44).

Group 7 (6 runners)Jon Aitken Dyte (1:49:15) was again the class of the Group 7 field and duly racked up his fifth win from 6 races. It will be interesting to see if he retains this form in the second half of the season now that he may have to rein in his recent strict training regime. The tight battle between Maxine Horsfield and Liz Delamain that has raged behind Aitken Dyte was once again on show at Paddock Wood, with Horsfield (1:56:20) coming out on top on this occasion. Delamain (1:56:46) was less than 30s behind and led in Anna Larner, in her first appearance of the season, David Allison and James Fisher, winner of Round 2.Unsurprisingly Aitken Dyte (115 points) with 5 victories is out front from Horsfield (101) and Delamain (84). Allison (60) in 4th has pulled further away from Sid Launchbury (40) and Julie Travers and Rebecca Gosling tied on 39 points.

Group 8 (3 runners)Dominic Russell was not far behind championship leader Emma Sims at the last round, the BVAC 5 miler, and this time with an extra 8.1 miles to play with he took his first victory of the season with a time of 1:58:37 to Sims’ 2:06:07. Olivia Senbanjo (2:06:16) was just 9s back in 3rd.Sims (114 points) had a commanding advantage coming into this round and Russell (85) has only closed the gap by 2 points. Senbanjo (73) rises from 6th to 3rd and heads Petula Herbert (65), Robert Lillywhite (60) and Meera Lawrence (59).

Group 9 (2 runners)For the second round in a row it was just the top two in the championship in attendance - Helena Broadway (2:11:21) once again too good for Kathy Strachan (2:29:44).Strachan (102 points) who has been ever-present this season is gradually having her points lead eroded by Broadway (96) and it is now down to six points. As none of the other Group 9s turned up, the rest of the top six remains as before, with Susan Deer (40) heading Paul Pester (30), Eadaoin Miller (20) and Anne-Marie Cowling (18).

Group 10 (3 runners)Kate Anderson (2:17:52) hasn’t looked back since her joint win at the Canterbury 10 mile in January and duly made it four wins from the last four rounds. Pherenice Worsey-Buck (2:32:02) was 2nd and delighted to have finally got her first Paddock Wood Half under her belt following three withdrawals due to injury or illness. It was also great to see Donna Carroll (3:18:53) back out in the GP and coming in 3rd.

Report: Mark Burgess

It’s back down to 10k for the next round with the popular and very scenic Darent Valley 10k on May 12th. Entries can be made either via www.runbritain.com or by downloading a form from the organisers’ website: www.swanleyanddistrictac.org. Oh and remember to wear a PWR top (or at least a white one) when taking part in Grand Prix events.

Round 5: BVAC 5 mile Cross Country 17/03/2019

Following the aptly named Trosley Park "Challenge", next on the schedule for the PWR GP competitors was another cross country event – the BVAC 5m Open race in mid-March at Spring Park/Sparrows Den, West Wickham. Numbers were again a bit lower than for the first three rounds but understandable given the short distance and terrain for those indulging in spring marathons. The 52 though that did race had a great time and were treated to reasonable weather apart from a brief hailstorm midway through! All but six were eligible for GP points, with one of those not chasing the end of year prizes, Rachel Bentley, coming home as 1st Lady even though she had to stop to tie her laces!

Group 1 (2 runners)After no runners from this group at the previous round it was a family affair in West Wickham, with men’s captain Stephen Pond (36:39) coming in 6th overall and ahead of son Matthew (38:28) who was contesting his first GP event of this season. Expect a better turnout from Group 1 at the next round, the Paddock Wood Half on April 7th.The absent Simon Dahdi (56 points) and Gavin Benson (51) retain their places at the top of the championship with Pond Snr (50) moving up three places from 6th to 3rd. David Adams (40), Kev Howarth (34) and Kev Chadwick (31) complete the top six.

Group 2 (4 runners)Having tasted success at the previous round at Trosley Park, Jamie Fernandes (37:07) was back for more and duly won Group 2 and less than 30s behind the Group 1 winner. Tom Medhurst (38:51) was 2nd in his first appearance in the GP this season from Andy Tippet (39:37) and Marcus Elwes.Fernandes (68 points) has increased his advantage at the top of the table while Tippet (61) moves up from 3rd into 2nd ahead of Geraldine Schaer (47), John Gurney, and Johnny Gill and Adam Wilkinson tied in 5th on 38 points apiece.

Group 3 (8 runners)A satisfying 8 runners turned out in Group 3 with James Wall (40:00) repeating his Trosley Park success. Stuart Isaacs (41:39) has been improving at every round he has contested – from a 5th at Brighton through a 4th at Foots Cray and 3rd at Canterbury to a 2nd here so expect him to win next time out. You read it here first! Peter Fisher (41:56) was 3rd from David Moore, Stuart Scott (his first appearance) and Christian Saville.Wall (83 points) is now 20 points clear of 2nd place which is held by Isaacs (63). Mark Burgess (62) drops to 3rd but somehow is still ahead of Stephen Robson (58), Fisher (50) and Mark Franks (47).

Group 4 (7 runners)Laura Elvin (41:22) was on fire again over this cross-country course and took her second win in as many rounds. Canterbury winner Dan Bugden (43:17) ventured out again and was rewarded with 2nd place while behind him was a close battle for 3rd between Lucy Drury (nursing a hangover), Paul Strachan (recently turned 50) and Jeremy Benson (in the midst of marathon training). Drury (44:27) passed both her elders and held on for 3rd while Benson and Strachan recorded identical chip times of 44:39 and were awarded the same points for 4=. Jonathan Bottomer was 6th.Elvin’s 20 points for the win closed the 20-point gap to championship leader Ian Bauly in one fell swoop so they are now tied for 1st place on 74 points apiece. Drury beating Strachan on the road was also crucial as they share 3rd overall on 57 points, while there is yet another tie for 5th between Carl Inman and Bugden who are both on 50 points.

Group 5 (4 runners)Nigel Hewson (47:31) has been waiting for his moment of glory and it finally came at this round. In the absence of series leader Steve Burnett, he took full advantage to capture his first win of this season’s series. Cliff Lyons (49:16) also took his best result so far this season in 2nd place from Natalie Jacques (49:22) and Neil Sutton.Hewson (89 points) has put himself top of the table with his win from the absent Burnett (74) and Viral Tanna (53). Sutton (51) moves up to 4th from 5th and heads Chloe Weaver (48) and Jacques (47).

Group 6 (7 runners)Derek Hopkins (49:39) secured his second win of the series from Amelia Isaacs (51:09) and the winner last time out, Richard Dunstan (51:33). Championship leader Sarah Hunt was 4th from Sigrid Robson and Lucy Bath.Hunt (75 points) still heads Group 6 but Dunstan (70) has cut her advantage by one point and is joined in 2nd equal by Hopkins (70). Isaacs drops one place to 4th while Finch and Robson remain in 5th and 6th respectively.

Group 7 (4 runners)Apart from one blip at the Foots Cray parkrun round, Jon Aitken Dyte (46:37) has been the runner to beat in Group 7 and he duly took his fourth victory in 5 races. After two races where Maxine Horsfield has beaten her, Liz Delamain (49:49) turned the tables on her rival this time around with Horsfield (50:46) 3rd. David Allison was the only other runner from this group to take part but seems more intent on having his photograph taken rather than concentrating on doing well!Aitken Dyte (95 points) is well on his way to getting maximum points this season as only a competitor’s best 8 rounds from 12 score, although he actually hasn’t got the highest number of points in any group – read on to see who has. Seemingly fighting for best of the rest are Horsfield (83) and Delamain (68) – Delamain having done one less race. Allison (46) is now 4th from Sid Launchbury (40) and Julie Travers and Rebecca Gosling in 5th tied on 39 points.

Group 8 (4 runners)Emma Sims (52:11) took yet another victory in Group 8 but Dominic Russell (52:29) was not far behind. Natalie Compton (53:31) was 3rd from Meera Lawrence with her third 4th place of the campaign.With three wins and two 2nd places, Sims (96 points) is bossing Group 8 and is a massive 31 points clear of her nearest rivals, Russell and Petula Herbert on 65 points each. Robert Lillywhite (60), Lawrence (59) and Olivia Senbanjo (57) complete the top six.

Group 9 (2 runners)Just the two runners in Group 9 with Helena Broadway (60:30) again getting the better of championship leader Kathy Strachan (61:45).Series leader Strachan (84 points) has had her points advantage reduced by another two points by Broadway (76), with these two well clear of Susan Deer (40) in 3rd. The other top six places remain as before with Paul Pester (30) heading Eadaoin Miller (20) and Anne-Marie Cowling (18).

Group 10 (4 runners)Kate Anderson (59:49) took her third win in a row and headed home Pherenice Worsey-Buck (60:34), Helen Twyford (64:39) and Rachel Sutton.Anderson (86 points) is now 26 points clear of the absent Alexandra Robins (60) while Sutton (53) moves up one place to 3rd. Twyford (46) is 4th from Sarah Davis and Worsey-Buck.

Round 4: Trosley Park 10k 24/02/19

Round 4 of this season’s GP series was held at the scenic Trosley Country Park at Trottiscliffe, near Vigo. There was perhaps a warning that should have been heeded in the title of the event, the Trosley Park Challenge as there were steep descents down steps carved in the hillside that didn’t fit many stride patterns and then we had to go up again.! No wonder there were only 174 souls brave enough to take on the challenge. Despite there only being 44 PWRs, probably the lowest we will see this season at a GP event, we made up 25% of the entry and took home two individual prizes – 3rd male Jamie Fernandez and 2nd lady Laura Elvin, who was also an excellent 10th overall.

Group 1 (0 runners)Nobody at all turned up from the fastest group! Maybe they had studied the course and decided it was too short a distance or it was too risky to chance an injury at a critical stage of their marathon training.There is therefore no change in the championship positions with the top six remaining as Simon Dahdi (56), Gavin Benson (51), David Adams (40), Kev Howarth (34), Kev Chadwick (31) and Stephen Pond (30).

Group 2 (2 runners)There were just the two runners in Group 2 with Jamie Fernandes (44:36), who I’m sure I have overheard previously complaining that he can’t do hills, taking the honours by just one place on the road from Andy Tippet (46:12). Two men in the top four was very impressive at such a grueling event.As well as doing well at Trosley, the pair have put themselves right into the championship mix. Fernandes (48 points) jumps from 6th to lead the group while Tippet (45) moves into 3rd behind Geraldine Schaer (47). John Gurney (43) is 4th and claims he tried to get a late entry, with Johnny Gill and Adam Wilkinson tied in 5th on 38 points apiece.

Group 3 (5 runners)James Wall (50:16) couldn’t keep up with his partner, Group 4’s Laura Elvin, on this occasion, but held off a close challenge from Mark Franks (50:38) and Stuart Isaacs (50:48) to take the Group 3 honours. Mark Burgess and Michael Pomfret also finished but didn’t not trouble these three.Wall’s win takes him on to 63 points and into the series lead. Showing that at this stage of the competition it’s the quantity of races that you do that matters rather than the quality of your racing, Burgess (50) rises from 6th to 2nd, three points ahead of Franks and the championship leader coming into the event Stephen Robson on 47. Isaacs (45) and two times winner this season Sean Gurney (40) complete the top six.

Group 4 (5 runners)Her superb top 10 finish saw Laura Elvin ((49:36) turn the tables on Ian Bauly (52:04) who had beaten her by just 1s at the previous round and record her first win. Lucy Drury (53:37) was next up from Jeremy Townsend in his first appearance of the season and Paul Strachan.Championship leader Bauly (74 points) is now 20 points clear in the race to the title with Elvin (54) moving up into the runner-up spot. Carl Inman (50) remains 3rd from Strachan (42), Drury (41) and Gillian Selman (34).

Group 5 (4 runners)Steve Burnett (56:24) took his win from 4 races with his only poor round so far being the Foots Cray parkrun where he came 5th. Any hope Nigel Hewson had that Burnett might take it easy around Trosley as he was running most of the way home afterwards did not materialise and Hewson (57:29) had to settle for his third runner-up spot. Results coming in threes was all the rage in this group with Chloe Weaver (59:06) taking her third 3rd place. Vassilis Sakizlis was 4th.Burnett (74 points) is pulling away ever so slowly at the top of Group 5 and is now 5 points clear of Hewson (69). Viral Tanna (53) who was racing elsewhere drops to 3rd and unfortunately fractured a metatarsal so is unlikely to be seen back in the GP for a little while and has had to withdraw from his first ever marathon. Get well soon Viral! Weaver (48) is 4th from Neil Sutton (36) and Fiona Abiola-Musa (35).

Group 6 (8 runners)After a poor entry at the previous round, this one obviously appealed to Group 6 as they had a healthy 8 competitors. It was Brighton winner Richard Dunstan (58:46) who took the honours from Laura Finch (60:02) with her best performance of the season so far and Canterbury winner Derek Hopkins (60:26). Andrew Deer was next up from Foots Cray victor Amelia Isaacs (who didn’t want to be told that there were hills), and the championship leader coming into the event Sarah Hunt. Lucy Bath and Lyzanne Warner also scored points in this group.Hunt (60 points) retains her position at the top of the table from Dunstan (54), Hopkins and Isaacs, tied in 3rd on 50 points, Finch (46) and Sigrid Robson (30).

Group 7 (4 runners)The organisers had obviously decided that series leader Jon Aitken Dyte was one to watch as he was seeded No.1! He said it was something to do about alphabetical order, but whatever Aitken Dyte (57:21) lived up the billing and duly took his third win of the series. Maxine Horsfield (61:37) was once again 2rd from Liz Delamain (63:04) and Sid Launchbury.Aitken Dyte (75 points) with another win under his belt retains his championship lead while Horsfield (67) is well clear of the new 3rd placed competitor, Delamain. Launchbury (40) moves up to 4th ahead of Julie Travers and Rebecca Gosling tied on 39 points.

Group 8 (5 runners)Emma Sims (62:40) took her second win of the series, the Foots Cray victor heading home Robert Lillywhite (66:53), his best result so far of this campaign. Brighton winner Petula Herbert (71:27) was 3rd from Dominic Russell and Canterbury winner Olivia Senbanjo who had turned her ankle but was never not going to finish and was accompanied to the line by non-GP entrant Paul Daniels who had suffered a similar fate.Sims (76 points) now has two wins and two 2nd places in this campaign and is 11 points clear of Herbert (65), with Lillywhite (60) now up to 3rd overall. Senbanjo (57) remains 4th from Russell (47) and Meera Lawrence (44).

Group 9 (3 runners)Susan Deer (74:47) began the season with a win at Brighton but hasn’t been seen since. She was back for Trosley and took another victory from Canterbury winner Helena Broadway (75:25) and Kathy Strachan (76:33).Strachan (66 points) has had her advantage at the top of the table cut by two points by Broadway (56), while Deer (40) moves into 3rd with her perfect scores from the rounds she has contested. Paul Pester (30), Eadaoin Miller (20) and Anne-Marie Cowling (18) complete the top six.

Group 10 (4 runners)After sharing the win at the last round with Sarah Davis, Kate Anderson (71:05) had the top spot all to herself this time around. Pherenice Worsley-Buck (78:24) picked up 2nd place in her first GP race this season from Alexandra Robins (78:53) and Helen Twyford.Anderson’s 20 points boosts her total to 66 and extends her series lead over Robins (60) and double event winner Sarah Davis (40). Rachel Sutton (38) and Penelope Gilmore (32) stay 4th and 5th while Twyford (30) moves into the top six.

Round 3: Canterbury 10 mile 27/01/19http://canterbury10.co.uk/

Canterbury, as in 2018, hosted the January round of this season’s must-win series, the PWR Grand Prix. Concerns over the weather proved largely unfounded and an amazing 85 PWRs turned out – 8 more than last year. 17 were not entered for the GP but fully embraced the race and the pub lunch afterwards.

Group 1 (8 runners)Canterbury or the 10 mile distance seem to suit Simon Dahdi and, twelve months on from last year’s win, he was again the fastest PWR, completing the distance in 62:53 and comfortably clear of the two Kevs – Howarth (65:50) just 8s quicker than Chadwick (65:58). Stephen Pond was 4th in Group 1 from Jason Mercer and Michael Smith.Series leader Gavin Benson had won the opening two rounds but wasn’t quite able to keep up with his elders at Canterbury and finished 8th. Dahdi’s victory plus his previous two runner-up placings puts him into the series lead on 56 points from Benson (51) and the only other runner to have completed all the rounds so far, David Adams (40). Howarth (34), Chadwick (31) and Pond (30) complete the top six

Group 2 (8 runners)Johnny Gill (66:19) backed up his 2nd place at round 2 with the Group 2 win, just over a minute quicker than Foots Cray winner Adam Wilkinson (67:25). In third place was the championship leader and first PWR lady, Geraldine Schaer (68:06), who also claimed the prize for the first FV45 home. Michael Evans in his first round this season was 4th from John Gurney and Hannah Roberts who, like Schaer, won her age category and, in conjunction with Emma Crawford, they won the ladies team prize.Schaer (47 points) has doubled her advantage at the top of the table to 4 points over Gurney (43). Gill’s win propels him up to joint 3rd overall with Wilkinson on 38 points apiece from Stephen Scobie (29) and Jamie Fernandes (28).

Group 4 (7 runners)It was good to see Dan Bugden (74:58) on top in Group 4, the long term member on good form as he prepares to take on VLM with the benefit of one of the club ballot places. The first two at the previous round were next up, Ian Bauly (76:52) just edging Laura Elvin (76:53) by 1s on chip times having recorded the same gun times. Carl Inman took his second 4th place in a row, having won the Brighton opener, from Gillian Selman and Jackie York.Bauly (56 points) extends his championship lead to 6 points over Inman (50) with Selman up from 6th to join Elvin in joint 3rd on 34 points. Bugden (32) enters the top six in joint 5th with Jeremy Benson who was out injured.

Group 5 (8 runners)Steve Burnett (82:12) backed up his Brighton win with his second victory of the series from Foots Cray winner Viral Tanna (83:54). Chloe Weaver (84:46) was 3rd for the second race in a row from Nigel Hewson, Steve Kay and Neil Sutton.It remains close at the top of the Group 5 table but with Burnett (54 points) now in pole position from Tanna (53) and former series leader Hewson (51). Sutton (36), Fiona Abiola-Musa (35) and Weaver (32) complete the top six.

Group 6 (3 runners)Group 6 was poorly represented with just three runners and none of the championship top three in attendance. You have to be in it to win it and it was Derek Hopkins (94:34) who triumphed by just 4s over Sarah Hunt (94:38) with Laura Finch (95:38) 3rd.Hunt (47 points) climbs from 4th overall to take the championship lead from the three round winners so far – Amelia Isaacs (36), Dunstan (34) and Hopkins (34). Sigrid Robson (30) is 5th from Finch (28).

Group 7 (10 runners)Brighton winner Jon Aitken Dyte (89:26) took the victory laurels once again in Group 7, with Maxine Horsfield (90:26) also repeating her result from the South Coast in 2nd. Liz Delamain (93:36) in 3rd headed parkrun victor James Fisher, Julie Travers and Linsey Hopkins.Aitken Dyte (55 points) has edged away another couple of points from his nearest rivals Horsfield (49) in 2nd, and Travers and Rebecca Gosling tied for 3rd on 39 points. Last year’s Group 7 champion Fisher (35) in 5th is just one point clear of Delamain in 6th.

Group 8 (10 runners)Along with Group 7, Group 8 had the best turnout of 10 runners with Olivia Senbanjo (93:38) on top from Foots Cray winner Emma Simms (94:34) and Dominic Russell (96:21). Meera Lawrence was 4th from Brighton victor Petula Herbert and last year’s Group 8 champion Joanne Carey.Simms’ win and two 2nd places so far gives her 56 points and a tidy advantage in the championship over 2nd-placed Herbert (49) and Lawrence (44). Senbanjo’s win places her 4th on 43 points from Robert Lillywhite (42) and Russell (32).

Group 9 (3 runners)Just the three runners in Group 9 with parkrun super-tourist Helena Broadway (104:36) taking the honours from Anne-Marie Cowling (105:28) and Kathy Strachan (111:15). Strachan and Group 10’s Alexandra Robins were two runners that I know of (there were probably more) that had never run this far ever before!Strachan (50 points) is well clear in the championship stakes from Broadway (38), who didn’t race at Brighton, Paul Pester (30), Susan Deer and Foots Cray winner Eadaoin Miller on 20 points, and Cowling (18).

Group 10 (4 runners)Kate Anderson and Sarah Davis recorded identical chip times of 115:55 and so have both been awarded the win! Alexandra Robbins (116:47) and the 2017-18 Group 9 champion Holly Allison were the only other runners from this class at Canterbury.Anderson’s 20 points puts her into the series lead with 46 points from Robins (44), while the other winner Davis (40) rises to 3rd ahead of the points leader coming into this race Rachel Sutton (38), Penelope Gilmore (32) and Allison (29).

Round 2 of the 2018-19 GP series was competitors’ best time from the parkruns at Foots Cray Meadows on December 8th and 15th. Did you gamble on just doing one, and perhaps lose out if conditions were different on the two Saturdays, or play safe and do both? As it turned out, the first round was slower with more mud and a strong wind, plus it does help to know a course when gunning for a quick time.Foots Cray is a recent addition, these were only events 20 and 21, to the ever-expanding list of parkrun venues but is picturesque and reasonably flat with an excellent café on site. 108 PWRs took part in one or both of the rounds with 92 registered to score Grand Prix points.

Group 1 (7 runners)Following his success at Round 1 at Brighton, Gavin Benson (19:09, 18:26) was again the elite runner to beat and improved his time by 43s over the two weekends to win Group 1 and remain undefeated at Foots Cray (4 runs, 4 wins!). Simon Dahdi (n/a, 19:13) was 2nd, as at Brighton, from Kev Howarth (n/a, 19:19), Kev Chadwick, David Adams and Jamie Buckland.With two victories Benson (40 points) obviously tops the championship from Dahdi (36), Buckland (29), Adams (28), Howarth (16) and Chadwick (15).

Group 2 (13 runners)Adam Wilkinson (n/a, 19:50) topped Group 2 in his first outing at Foots Cray from Johnny Gill (n/a, 20:11) and Jamie Fernandes (n/a, 20:21). Geraldine Schaer and Andy Tippet were next up having recorded their times at the first event from Steve Bowley who ran at race weekend 2.Schaer’s 3rd and 4th at the opening two rounds propels her into the Group 2 lead on 31 points. Next up are two runners level on 29 points who did better at Brighton than at Foots Cray – Brighton winner Stephen Scobie and runner-up John Gurney, although Gurney did do the parkrun and then won the Kent Masters Cross Country Champs for his age group on the same day! Completing the championship top six are Tippet (27), Gary Smith (25) and Hector Drumond (22).

Group 3 (10 runners)Victory in this class went to Michael Pomfret (n/a, 21:57) from the 2017-18 Group 2 runner-up Peter Fisher (22:14, 22:06) and the man who beat him to the title James Wall (n/a, 22:13). Last year’s Group 3 champion Stuart Isaacs was 4th from Stephen Robson and Mark Franks.Fisher (34 points) leads the Group 3 field from Robson and Isaacs, tied on 29 points, Wall (28), Adam Waterman (24) and Mark Burgess (22).

Group 4 (12 runners)Ian Bauly (23:15, 22:55) improved by 20s to take the Group 4 honours by 5s from London Fire Brigade Cross Country Champion Laura Elvin (n/a, 23:00), with Jeremy Benson (23:48, 23:02) only another 2s further back. Brighton winner Carl Inman was 4th with Paul Strachan and Jonathan Bottomer completing the top six. A special mention must be made of last year’s Group 5 champion Philip den Baes who at both parkruns set off at an electric pace only to fade back down the field!Bauly’s win coupled with his 2nd place at Brighton gives him 38 points and the championship lead from Inman (35), Benson (32), Strachan (28), Lucy Drury (25) and Gillian Selman (20).

Group 5 (8 runners)Viral Tanna (n/a, 24:41) came out on top in Group 5 from Nigel Hewson (26:18, 25:07) who had also finished in the runner-up spot at Brighton. Chloe Weaver (n/a, 25:13) completed the top three from Natalie Jacques, Brighton victor Steve Burnett and Cliff Lyons.Hewson (36 points) now sits pretty at the top of the points table with just two points covering the leader, Tanna (35) and Burnett (34). Jacques (31) is 4th from Neil Sutton and Fiona Abiola-Musa tied on 23 points apiece.

Group 6 (7 runners)I don’t know this for sure but my calculated guess is that, after the oldest competitor in this class (Richard Dunstan) won at Brighton, it was the youngest, Amelia Isaacs (26:37, 25:42), that took the honours at Round 2. Janine Harris (n/a, 26:13) was 2nd fastest at Foots Cray from Sarah Hunt (26:46, n/a), Sigrid Robson, Dunstan and Laura Finch.Isaacs (36 points) has put herself in pole position to repeat her dad Stuart’s GP title success of last year, but expect the experienced Dunstan (34) to not give up without a good fight. Robson’s two 4th places gives her 3rd overall with 30 points from Hunt (29) and Harris and Joseph Mulhall both on 18.

Group 7 (11 runners)Having missed the first round, last year’s Group 7 champion James Fisher (28:26, 26:56) was back to winning ways at Foots Cray. Liz Delamain (28:02, 27:28) was quicker than Fisher at the first of the parkruns but was unable to match him second time out and was 2nd overall in this class from Perry Wilson (27:42, n/a) who was quicker than both of them at the opener but did not take in the second outing and so potentially lost out on a win. Brighton victor Jon Aitken Dyte was 4th from Rebecca Gosling (promoted from Group 8 due to her excellent Brighton run) and Maxine Horsfield.Aitken Dyte (35 points) retains his championship lead from Horsfield (31), Gosling (28), Julie Travers and Sid Launchbury on 25 points, and David Allison (22).

Group 8 (10 runners)Emma Sims (28:33, 27:53) won Group 8 from Michael Boyd (39:33, 29:00) who had obviously been sandbagging at the first parkrun if you look at his times! Robert Lillywhite (29:09, n/a), Petula Herbert, Meera Lawrence and Natalie Compton completed the top six.Sims (38 points) heads the table from Herbert (35), who is now classified as the Brighton winner following Gosling’s class promotion, Lillywhite (30), Lawrence (29), Boyd (26) and Janice Mitchell (24).

Group 9 (5 runners)Honours in this class went to Eadaoin Miller (31:10, n/a) who was followed home by Helena Broadway (33:01, 31:42), Kathy Strachan (33:25, n/a), Debbie McKenzie and Paul Pester.Strachan (34 points) has a 4-point advantage over Pester (30) in the championship, with Foots Cray winner Miller and Brighton winner Susan Deer next up on 20 points apiece. Broadway (18) and McKenzie (15) complete the top six.

Next up is the popular Ssang Yong Canterbury 10 Mile Road Race on Sunday January 27th complete with laid-on party coach and pub lunch for those who stake their claim quickly enough. Entries at https://canterbury10.co.uk/ and coach/pub details on the Petts Wood Runners Official Club Group Facebook site. This event was on last year’s GP calendar with class wins going to Geraldine Schaer, Mike Reeves, Laura Elvin, Pauline Skerrett, Monica Lungu, Spencer Davis, James Fisher, Joanne Carey and Holly Allison.

Brighton was once again the venue for the Grand Prix season opener and a superb 110 PWRs, only out-numbered by the Vegan Runners, crossed the finish line with some other club members also down on the south coast to lend their support. Lending a hand with the photography were two PWRs that should have been running but were forced to spectate for different reasons – Group 4’s Laura Elvin had forgotten to enter while Kevin Howarth had entered but his body said no you don’t after the exertions of a canine race the day before.Changes for this season’s series include one extra group and Group 1 back to being scored on just chip times instead of the times being adjusted for age/sex.29 of the 110 PWRs had not registered for the Grand Prix and it was one of these, Simon Fox who was the quickest club member with a 34:12.

Group 1 (5 runners)Gavin Benson has been getting quicker and quicker and the younger Benson set a personal 10k PB and took the class win with a 36:44, just 9s quicker than 2nd placed Simon Dahdi (36:53). Jamie Buckland (37:53) was 3rd from last season’s champion Stephen Pond and David Adams.

Group 2 (9 runners)Stephen Scobie (39:24) set the pace in the larger Group 2 class with John Gurney (39:55) and Geraldine Schaer (40:00) completing the top three. Gary Smith, Hector Drumond and Andy Tippet rounded off the top six from Nemera Mamo, Hannah Roberts, who finished without her timing chip so didn’t record a time, and Mike Reeves.

Group 3 (10 runners)Sean Gurney (41:41) pleasantly surprised dad John with an excellent performance to take the Group 3 win from Vingaudas Raulinaitis (42:09) in his unconventional vivid green PWR top. Last season’s Group 2 champion Peter Fisher (43:01) was next up from Stephen Robson, another champion (Group 3 2017-18) Stuart Isaacs, Adam Waterman, yet another champion (Group 4 2017-18) James Wall, David Moore, Mark Burgess and Steve White who was nursing damaged ribs.

There are two opportunities to score points for Round 2 as either of the parkruns at Foots Cray Meadows on December 8th and 15th can count. Although you can just turn up and run, please remember you need to be registered for parkruns and bring your barcode otherwise your times won’t count! Volunteers are also required and are being rewarded with 15 points (the equivalent of a 4th place finish) which are added in at the end of the series should you have completed less than 8 scoring events. Some tactical volunteering could be seen if you think you can’t achieve better than 4th on this off-road and probably muddy course.